Water Gardening

My water garden was awesome this year! 

Unfortunately, as we move into September here in south central PA, growth will begin to slow and it'll be time to shut things down for the winter.

Specifically, that means I will pull up the pots (all my plants are contained in submerged pots to keep them corralled) and divide the root balls.  I whack at the root ball with a hatchet to reduce the root mass back to about 1/3 of its size, then replant it in the same container.  Then I will add some garden soil to fill up the pot, include a fertilizer tablet or two, and finally cover the top with small stones to cover the mud and to discourage the goldfish and koi from rooting in the pots and stirring things up. 

I cut the green vegetative growth off and sink the pot to the bottom of the pond (my deepest point is about 3').  The pots remain there all winter until spring when I pull them up to higher shelves so they can start next spring's growth.